BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT NEWS RELEASECalifornia Desert District Office

Release Date:
04/17/13

Contacts:

David Briery, (951) 697-5220

&nbsp

&nbsp

&nbsp

Steve Razo, (951) 697-5217

&nbsp

&nbsp

News Release No. CA-CDD-13-38

55 Mustangs and a Burro to Step Out in Norco Parade

Fifty-five mustangs and a burro are set to march in Saturday’s Norco, Calif. Horseweek Parade. As the largest entry in the 43rd Annual Horseweek Parade, the wild horses and burros will follow a cattle drive up Norco’s Sixth Street to Ingalls Park beginning at 10 a.m. on Apr. 20.

"Norco – Horsetown USA -- is excited about having all these mustangs in our parade," says Norco Horseweek Parade Chair Donna Johnson. "It’ll be fantastic to see firsthand how with a little bit of training, 55 mustangs can march through Norco city streets with their heads held high. Four mustangs will even be pulling a stage coach -- it’s amazing!"

"Many of the mustang owners," says C. J. Wallace, entry organizer and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse & Burro Program Assistant, "heard about the opportunity to participate by word-of-mouth. My phone has been ringing off the hook as folks from all over Southern California are eager to show off their talented mustangs."

All of the animals were adopted through the BLM's Wild Horse and Burro Adoption Program. BLM California manages wild horses and burros in accordance with the Wild Free Roaming Horse and Burro Act of 1971. This Act gave the BLM the responsibility to protect wild horses and burros, while ensuring their populations are managed to maintain or restore a thriving ecological balance. California's free roaming wild horses and burros roam over 7.1 million acres of public land and an additional 2.3 million acres of non-BLM land.

The horse herds in California consist mostly of released ranch and Spanish stock, as well as cavalry remount stock from World War I. Historical data show that burro herds come from abandoned or escaped mining stock.

When herd sizes exceed the appropriate management level or resource damages occurs, animals are gathered and offered for adoption. Adopters of wild horses and burros pay the federal government $125 and agree to act as caretaker for one year, during which time the adopted horse or burro remains the property of the U.S. Government. After one year of providing proper care, the adopter may apply for and receive ownership title.

Norco will also host on May 3-5, the Extreme Mustang Makeover and Mustang Million Adoption with more than 130 trained and untrained mustangs available for adoption. For more information, please contact the Ridgecrest Regional Corrals & Adoption Center at (800) 951-8720.